You are a displaced professional. Being displaced unemployment is not a choice. You want gainful employment and to run in the rat race we all complain about. Because yes, we did complain about it. And that’s just the start of where frustration comes in. We’re frustrated because we do not have a regular job.
Of course we should never define ourselves – our purpose – by our job. But our job did help to provide a bit of definition. It had to because – although not the most important – it was a part of who we are. A salesperson, an HR director, a finance guru. And now we feel like that part of us – of who we are or were – is missing. Frustrating.
And then comes the most frustrating part of all. Remember when you were employed? Was it all sunshine and roses? Of course not. And what did we all do? We complained. Not because we were really that unhappy. We complained because – even if we loved our job – the perfect job does not exist. We would become frustrated.
Our employed friends and family still experience this frustration. As I said a moment ago, the perfect job does not exist. And they will complain. It’s normal. This is there way of dealing with the frustrations they are experiencing. The only problem: We become frustrated with them complaining about what we want. Their complaints sound like sour grapes to us. Frustrating.
The reality is that they really are not as unhappy as they seem. Just frustrated. And they need to complain to get that frustration of their chest. Venting helps people feel better. And they will feel better. As frustrated as we become with their venting, we need to remember our true purpose – the people around us. We become the sounding board they need to return to a good mental place, fulfilling our true purpose.
